Second place for Eagles at SuperSport Wheelchair Basketball Series

The 23rd SuperSport Wheelchair Basketball Series came to an end on October 26 in a tightly contested match between Diesel Electric Services Eagles and the Kirloskar Lions at the Vodacom Mandeville Indoor Sports Centre.

The Lions came out victorious when they defeated the Eagles 55-51.

Both teams were determined to lift the trophy.

The Eagles started well and dominated the game from the start to lead by 11 points in the first quarter. By the end of the second quarter, the lead had been reduced to nine, and by the end of the third quarter the lead had gone down to just six points.

At this stage, the Eagles looked like they were going to collect the silverware.

Lions forward Cecil Dumont fouled out six minutes into the third quarter, leaving the Eagles bench celebrating and seeing this as an opportunity to bag a win. However, Eagles’ Simphiwe Mnthambo and Marcus Retief fouled out in quick succession just before the end of the third quarter.

This forced the Eagles to field four players against five and left them under extreme pressure, resulting in a total of 20 turnovers against 11 of the Lions.

The Lions capitalised on that and in the final stages of the game scored two quick baskets to clinch the title.

This result saw the Lions lifting the championship trophy for the fourth year in a row.

“It was a closely contested match and the team fought till the end, but I guess the Lions were also as hungry as us to win the championship. Credit must go to the Lions coach for urging his players on to fight until the end and for the tactical changes which saw them turn the game on its head,” said Eagles assistant manager Fred Ganyaupfu.

He said the team was grateful to its sponsor.

“We may have not collected the silverware, but it has been a good season for the team and we thank the sponsor, Kevin Donaldson from Diesel Electric Services. We are grateful for the team’s sponsorship, maintenance work done to improve lighting, bathrooms and ventilation of Vodacom Mandeville Indoor Sports Centre, assisting team members with leanership placements and taking his time to attend every game to support, connect with the players and learn more about the sport of wheelchair basketball. It means a lot to the team because that alone also boosts team spirit,” said Ganyaupfu.

Donaldson said even though the team did not bag a win, he was still happy about their performance.

“The quality of this year’s final was of a very high standard. Yes, the Eagles lost today, but ultimately wheelchair basketball has won. It was a dying sport, but now this will begin to change,” said Donaldson.

The Eagles wrapped up the season with gold medals, the Team of the Season Trophy and a celebratory dinner.

Daniel Nyuke was selected as one of the top five players for the 2019 SuperSport Wheelchair Basketball Series.